


Dumb Dumb

by memefucker69



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 13:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6611641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memefucker69/pseuds/memefucker69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo suffers from eternally red cheeks and terrible social skills - especially around the cute pizza delivery guy, Jongin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dumb Dumb

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by red velvet's dumb dumb and yeonhee's character from exo next door :-)
> 
> warnings: romance, fluff, jealousy, awkwardness, humor, smiley delivery boy!jongin, shy!kyungsoo

Do Kyungsoo has a problem - or rather he’s had one since birth.

It started with his first crush in elementary school. Little Kyungsoo, chubby-cheeked and tiny, marched himself up to the prettiest girl in his first grade class, Jung Soojung. With a handful of those lovely dandelion weeds plucked from beside the playground fence, Kyungsoo approached her meekly as she sat in the sandbox with her friends and held out the flowers to her, surprising the girl.

“I-I like you, Soojunggie,” he mumbled, ducking his head shyly. Kyungsoo felt his cheeks burn, feeling the pressure as the girls stared at him.

“Hehe, his cheeks are so red!” Seohyun giggled, pointing at the small boy. The other two girls laughed along with her, and Soojung grinned with them. Kyungsoo felt his heart stutter, and his cheeks turned a darker shade of magenta.

“I don’t like you,” the young girl had replied, and Kyungsoo’s heart had shattered right then and there. The rest of that day, the class had laughed at him, not only because of his rejection but because of the bright shade of his cheeks.

And then in high school, on Valentine’s Day, Kyungsoo steeled himself to give chocolates to the cute boy in his class, Park Chanyeol. He was popular, funny, tall, and admirable. Leaving a note in Chanyeol’s locker to meet him after school in the courtyard, Kyungsoo stood there in the cold, large glasses pressed to his face and ducking beneath his scarf to beat the cold. He adjusted his specs out of nervousness and watched as Chanyeol approached him with a smile. Kyungsoo told himself he wasn’t going to mess up again. He was going to tell Chanyeol, his first true love, how he felt. His fingers tightened their grip on the box of chocolates hiding behind his back.

“I got your note,” the taller boy waved the folded piece of paper, grinning. “What did you want to say?”

“I - um,” Kyungsoo stuttered, already feeling the familiar heat buildup in his cheeks. “U-Um, I…you…”

“Well, what is it?” Chanyeol started to frown a bit. “You didn’t make me come out here for nothing, did you?”

Kyungsoo’s sweaty fingers pushed up his glasses. “I-I wanted to...um...I…”

Chanyeol sighed, taking out his flip phone and looking at the time. “Look, I have to go to a club meeting. Once you figure out what you have to say, you can tell me tomorrow or something, okay?”

“B-But…” Kyungsoo had to tell him! Valentine’s Day was only one day! But before he could attempt to speak up again, Chanyeol was already walking away, and Kyungsoo heard his heart hit the ground for the second time in his life.

And now, at twenty-four, Kyungsoo has lost all hope in love and dating. Anytime he’s around a cute boy or girl, his cheeks turn super red, and he stutters embarrassingly. He’s already terrible at socializing as it is. Working as a freelance graphic designer, he stays cooped up in his apartment, though his friend Baekhyun manages to drag him out to bars and karaoke often. But other than that, Kyungsoo finds his solace being alone and working on his projects for different clients.

 

“Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun calls from the couch as the other man comes in after using the restroom. He's holding his white IPhone in his hand with a pout on his lips.

“What's wrong?” Kyungsoo asks, confused. Baekhyun was calling the local pizza delivery place before he went to the bathroom. “Are they out of pepperoni again?”

“No, it's worse!” Baekhyun cries as he sits down. “They're closed!”

“Closed? Like permanently?” Kyungsoo freezes. They’ve been ordering from that pizzeria since university. The pizza was delicious and cheap, perfect for their Netflix binging nights. He can’t believe they’re closed. “Um, well, do you know where else we can get some pizza? I’m not settling for Chinese takeout again.”

His best friend thinks for a moment, staring at the screen of his phone in thought. “Uh, there is that place beside the grocery store? The new place? Jongdae said their pizza was okay,” he shrugs, looking at Kyungsoo for approval. “Or we can go eat at one of the places that don’t deliver, if you’re that desperate.”

“Nah, it’s fine. We can order something from there. Get the usual,” Kyungsoo replies, reaching over to the coffee table for the remote. He browses the Netflix categories aimlessly, listening as Baekhyun searches for the number of the pizza place before ringing them up, getting to his feet and walking towards the window because Kyungsoo’s apartment can have shitty reception sometimes.

He met Baekhyun in his senior year of high school, and they ended up going to the same university, though Baekhyun was pursuing some sort of music degree, now writing songs for a record label. Baekhyun is the complete opposite of him, talkative, approachable, and outgoing, and he was even the one to push for Kyungsoo to confess to Chanyeol that day and comfort Kyungsoo when things didn’t go as planned. He’s a good friend, and they tend to hang out a lot on the weekends, now that they aren’t roommates since Baekhyun moved in with his girlfriend, Taeyeon.

“Do you want to watch _Bleach_ or _The Walking Dead_?” Kyungsoo asks once Baekhyun returns back to the couch, jumping over the back to sit down.

“I’m in the mood for over-dramatic sword fights all the time,” Baekhyun winks, brushing caramel bangs out of his face. Kyungsoo laughs and lifts the remote to choose a random episode of the anime he knows they’ve both seen hundreds of times.

It’s about halfway through the episode that the buzzer of the apartment door rings, and Kyungsoo is thankful to be relieved from another one of the character’s pointless monologues in the middle of a fight. Standing up, he hurries to the door, unlocking it before opening it. A cheery greeting rings in his ears, and Kyungsoo looks up and his heart stops.

The delivery boy, or rather man, standing at his door is _handsome as fuck_. His skin is sun-kissed and face clear with a straight nose, crinkled brown eyes, and a dazzling white smile. His dark hair is hidden beneath his uniform cap but his bangs are styled up to show off his forehead, and Kyungsoo can’t even focus for a good minute on what the other man is saying, wide eyes focused on the way his pretty lips move to form words.

And Kyungsoo realizes he’s just standing there staring when the pretty delivery boy is looking at him in concern.

“Did you not order the Hawaiian pizza and the extra cheese pizza?” Pretty Delivery Boy adjusts his hold on the two boxes to look at the receipt.

“A-Ah, no, um, I mean…” Kyungsoo feels that hot feeling rushing to his cheeks, and he knows they’re super red. “They’re mine! I-I ordered them.” He wants to die from embarrassment right then and there. He sounds so stupid, but the taller man only smiles genuinely at him again as Kyungsoo takes out his wallet and hands him the right amount of cash, nearly dropping it in the process.

“Thank you!” Pretty Delivery Boy chirps as he hands him the two warm boxes. He smiles warmly at Kyungsoo, who grins back shyly, lowering his eyes to their feet. He feels like his eyes will burn if he looks into the other man’s almond-shaped ones.

“Have a good evening, Sir!” He gives a bow before backing out of the doorway and down the hall, and Kyungsoo watches him as he goes, completely mesmerized. He can tell just by his silhouette that Pretty Delivery Boy has a handsome body too. It’s unfair, really.

Shuffling the boxes in his arms with a dazed expression and crimson cheeks, Kyungsoo closes the apartment door and locks it. He leans against it and the breath he didn’t know he was holding comes whooshing out. Well, he could add that to the list of embarrassing moments in front of good looking people. Pushing away from the door, Kyungsoo walks back into the living room, passing by Baekhyun as he places the pizza boxes down on the table.

“What’s up with you?” His best friend eyes his blushing appearance as he reaches out and opens on of the boxes, grabbing a slice of Hawaiian pizza.

Kyungsoo just shakes his head as he plops back down onto the couch, holding his hot cheeks bashfully. He just wants to forget that ever happened and let the floor swallow him whole. Baekhyun just stares at him strangely before shrugging, taking a big bite of the slice of warm pizza and holding up the remote to continue the episode of the anime.

 

Hands reach up to rub at droopy eyes as the man stares endlessly at the logo he’s been working on. The cutely drawn penguin glares back at him from the Photoshop screen. He’s been working on this for hours, and now he’s satisfied with the penguin, but the font of the company’s name just doesn’t seem right, but Kyungsoo’s changed it at least ten times now. It has everything that the owner of the new ice cream shop wanted, yet it does not satisfy Kyungsoo’s eye as a designer.

Moving his mouse around rapidly, he groans in frustration, lying his head down on his desk. His phone vibrates on the wood beside his face, and Kyungsoo lets out a sigh, pushing the glowing device away. He doesn’t have time for distractions right now. It’s probably Jongdae posting another meme in their group chat. Pursing his lips, he clicks save on his work just in case, and then Kyungsoo’s stomach lets out a growl. He hasn’t eaten anything since some yogurt around four and now it’s eight o’clock.

With a grumble, he decides to at least take a break for some late dinner. Kyungsoo stands up, clad in only an old t-shirt that he’s sure he’s had since high school and black boxers. It’s been a slow day for him. He wanders into his tiny kitchen, opening the refrigerator and pouting at the lack of anything inside. He’d forgotten that he needs to take a trip to the grocery store. A search through his cabinets turns up empty-handed as well. Kyungsoo doesn’t even have a single cup of cheap ramen.

Kyungsoo huffs, walking into the living room and collapsing on his couch, phone in hand. Rubbing at his eyes tiredly, he decides ordering take-out is the best decision, and what’s better than pizza? He texts Baekhyun to send him the number of the place they got pizza from last time. He can’t really remember it, as it was a couple weeks ago, but the pizza was good. He calls up the place, feeling bad as it’s only an hour until closing, but they confirm his order and tell him that his extra-extra cheese pizza (because his thighs aren’t getting slimmer anytime soon so who cares) will be there in fifteen minutes.

He takes a tiny power nap in that time—which is more like Kyungsoo lying there, eyes closed and half-asleep for a majority of the time until he does fall asleep, curled up on the sofa. The buzzer of the door shocks him awake, however, and Kyungsoo shoots up from the couch, stumbling a bit as he’s shortly disoriented. He doesn’t even realize that his shirt is slipping off his shoulder or that his hair’s a mess or that _he’s wearing no pants_.

He’s also forgotten about Pretty Delivery Boy.

Kyungsoo opens the door just after the buzzer sounds again, and he nearly stumbles back at the sight of the same handsome delivery boy from last time. The only difference is that he’s not wearing a cap and his caramel hair is styled down, but he still bears that stunning, toothy smile.

“Hello! How are y—” Pretty Delivery Boy stops mid-sentence, his cheeks turning pink and smile faltering as he takes in Kyungsoo’s appearance.

Blinking, the shorter man looks down at himself, and with great horror realizes his lack of clothes, screams, and then slams the door in the delivery boy’s face. Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut and slaps his blushing cheeks to punish himself. He’s so stupid! How could he answer the door, looking like this? He probably traumatized the other man with his yellow Pikachu briefs. Holding his cheeks and squishing them worriedly, Kyungsoo glances back at the closed door. It’s probably best that he just goes and hides in his room for all of eternity. The pizza isn’t worth the embarrassment he just faced.

A knock at the door startles him just before Pretty Delivery Boy’s smooth voice sounds from the other side. “It’s okay! Um, I mean, we’re both guys...so it’s...I don’t mind…” He laughs nervously, a deep, adorable sound, and Kyungsoo’s heart flutters in his chest.

Hesitating, Kyungsoo grasps the doorknob and pulls the door open a few centimeters, peeking his head out. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t, uh, um, I didn’t r-realize…I’m sorry,” he stutters and stumbles on his apology, a flush spreading across his cheeks as he keeps his eyes lowered to the floor.

“It’s really alright,” Pretty Delivery Boy smiles sincerely, and Kyungsoo can tell he’s trying to cheer him up. “It, um, just surprised me is all...Kyungsoo, right?”

The moment he says the smaller man’s name, Kyungsoo’s cheek flame up even more, if possible. He wonders how the practical stranger even knew his name, and the bewilderment must be obvious by the way Pretty Delivery Boy grins sheepishly.

“Sorry, I just read the name on the ticket. I’m not some stalker!” He chuckles in an anxious manner, like he just told a bad joke and regrets it, but Kyungsoo smiles at it nonetheless - mostly finding the fact that the other looked at his name and remembered it endearing.

“Um,” Kyungsoo’s gaze once again falls to the floor, focusing on the other male’s tattered red converse, “What’s your name then? I-If you don’t mind me asking. Sorry if that’s, uh, too f-forward.” He wants to slap himself again for his awful social skills.

“Oh,” the handsome man points to the _Fucking Name Tag_ on the left of his chest, “it’s Jongin.” He beams anyways, as if he doesn’t think Kyungsoo is an idiot for never even noticing that he had his name printed there all along and is overjoyed to tell him (which is the truth but Kyungsoo is ever the pessimist when it comes to himself).

“It’s nice to meet you, J-Jongin,” Kyungsoo holds out a hand to shake, and Jongin moves the pizza box to one arm to shake it. The former grins shyly, tucking in his chin as he notices how warm Jongin’s hand is (he’s been holding a warm pizza) and how soft his palm is (pizza grease probably).

“Nice to meet you too!” Jongin seems to be forever smiley as he lets go of Kyungsoo’s hand. “So you ordered an extra-extra cheese pizza?”

“Uh, yeah, just let me get my wallet real quick…” Kyungsoo disappears into his apartment for a moment, fetching his wallet off of the couch where he’d left it. Jongin repeats the total to him generously, and he clumsily picks out the right amount of cash. It’s a little bit over. “Just keep the r-rest of it as a tip,” he urges when Jongin starts to reach into his bag to give him change.

“Oh, thank you, Kyungsoo,” Jongin says happily and hands him the receipt and the warm box of pizza.

Kyungsoo, being the klutz he is, apparently can’t hold two items at once and the air carries the receipt from his hand and to the ground. Face flushing for the millionth time and feeling like he wants to die for being such a mess in front of Jongin, he starts to bend down to get it, but the taller man beats him to it, handing it back to him in what the inner gay mind of Kyungsoo can only describe as a _princely_ manner. God, he’s such a hopeless romantic.

The delivery boy snickers at him, and Kyungsoo pales, thinking he’s about to crush all his dreams and laugh at him, but instead Jongin murmurs affectionately with crinkled eyes, “You’re so cute.”

He doesn’t seem to notice how star-struck that makes the shorter man and beams at him again. “Goodnight! Enjoy your pizza, Kyungsoo.” Jongin gives him a tiny wave before turning around and retreating down the hallway just like the previous time.

If Kyungsoo was a popsicle, he would’ve melted into a gooey puddle on the ground right about now. His face is catching fire, and his hands are trembling as Jongin’s words echo in his mind. He thinks Kyungsoo is _cute_ —socially inept, red-faced and bug-eyed Kyungsoo. Inside, he is screaming, on another plane of existence.

He doesn’t know how long he stands there, in the doorway of his apartment, in his underwear, holding a pizza box, until he looks up and sees his neighbor from across the hall, Junmyeon, eying him strangely as he unlocks his apartment door. Kyungsoo lets out a sound akin to a dying goat before quickly retreating inside.

 

It turns out that Jongin always seems to be working on the nights where Kyungsoo feels like eating an entire pie of grease by himself, which becomes every week or so as he becomes a bit addicted to seeing Jongin. He becomes sick of pizza after two months of this pattern, but it’s worth it, in his opinion. It’s probably wishful thinking, but Kyungsoo thinks that Jongin likes seeing him too. Their polite conversations turn into Jongin saying, “hey, there,” with a smile every time Kyungsoo opens the door. The latter still blushes and stutters whenever interact, but Jongin never mocks him for it.

He finds out that Jongin is twenty-one and is majoring in dance at the same local arts university that Kyungsoo graduated from, and when Jongin says he likes ballet the most, Kyungsoo can't stop imagining him doing twirls and spins with grace. Now he can see why Jongin has such a lithe body. They end up becoming such great friends that they exchange Line IDs, and Kyungsoo is glad that Jongin is the one to start a conversation because he gets too nervous every time.

He only orders pizza and texts Jongin when Baekhyun and Jongdae aren't around. He knows they'll tease him if they find out about his crush on a pizza delivery guy, though Jongin is more of a friend than a stranger now.

However, Baekhyun is too nosy for his own good.

“‘How are you, Kyungsoo? Didn't order pizza tonight? LOL,’” Baekhyun quoted loudly as Kyungsoo walks into the living room after a bathroom break. Kyungsoo stops in confusion which then switches to horror when he spots his familiar black phone case in Baekhyun’s hand, the screen displaying the familiar Line chat with Jongin.

“Give it back,” Kyungsoo growls, snatching it from his friend’s palm.

Baekhyun relents with a grin. “So who's Jongin~?” he chimes in a sing-song voice. Cuddling up to Kyungsoo’s side, he looks up to him with a sly look.

“...No one,” Kyungsoo grumbles, but his cheeks defy him and slowly color from a pale red shade to hot pink. Baekhyun laughs triumphantly, lying back and kicking his feet up in excitement, only stopping his acting when Kyungsoo punches him in the ribs.

“Oh, c’mon, Kyungsoo,” he rubs at his sore torso when a pout. “I’m just asking as a curious friend. I told you when I started going out with Taeyeon.”

“We’re not going out,” Kyungsoo mumbles, lips twitching as he tries not to smile at the cute sticker Jongin sent him with his message. “I mean, I’ve been talking to him for about two months but...we’re just friends.”

“Kyungsoo, you put a heart next to his name,” Baekhyun points at the screen.

“Shut up!” Cradling his phone to his chest, Kyungsoo turns it away with embarrassed cherry cheeks. “I-I like him, okay? But he’s so handsome and nice and polite and smiley, and I’m, well…”

“An anti-social introvert whose only interests are art and cheesy anime?” Baekhyun finishes.

Kyungsoo glares at him with a frown.

With a sigh, his best friend sits up and grabs Kyungsoo by the shoulders with a confident look. “Kyungsoo, you gotta just go for it! Be aggressive! If it’s been this long, then he might never know that you like him! You have to come out and tell him, okay? It’ll be just like senior year of high school if you don’t.” Baekhyun smile wavers a bit, remembering how sad Kyungsoo was when he failed to confess to Park Chanyeol. “Invite him over for a movie or something. Take the plunge, Kyungsoo! Be a man!”

Kyungsoo presses his lips together, staring down at the blinking cursor in the text box of their conversation window. His mind goes back to his experience with his high school crush, and the fear grips his heart tightly. He knows Jongin is single and bisexual, something he found out recently during a late night conversation. But what if Jongin just thinks of him as a friend? Kyungsoo would embarrass himself once again.

Baekhyun glances at him from the side, sensing Kyungsoo’s building fear from his silence. “Here, just reply to his last text and then bring up the topic.” He scoots closer as his friend nods in response and slowly types up his text.

 

**Jongin** **♡**

How are you, Kyungsoo? Didn’t order pizza tonight? lol

 

**Kyungsoo**

No, I didn’t. I wasn’t really feeling it haha. I’m fine though, hbu?

 

**Jongin** **♡**

I’m great! I just got off of work for the night :-) What’s up?

 

“This is it, Kyungsoo. This is your chance!” Baekhyun holds up a fist in excitement.

“Wh-What do I say?” Kyungsoo looks at him in panic as if they’re about to defuse a bomb.

Placing a finger on his lips, the songwriter thinks. He really doesn’t want it to flop because he had a partial involvement with the planning of Kyungsoo’s high school confession, and that obviously turned out terrible. “Okay, first, say, _‘I have something to ask you actually_ , _’_ and that’ll capture his attention and get him thinking and excited.”

Kyungsoo gulps and nods, fingers gliding over the keyboard smoothly as the types out the sentence.

 

**Kyungsoo**

I have something I want to ask you actually…

 

**Jongin** **♡**

Hmm? What is it? :o

 

“Yes! The ellipsis was a good touch, by the way,” Baekhyun nudges his shoulder with a grin, trying to calm Kyungsoo down. The latter smiles back at him, albeit a little nervous. “Okay, now, just ask him sincerely. Do you want to invite him over to watch a movie? That sounds like a good date for you.”

“Should I say it’s a date?”

“No, no, we have to make him come for you! Make it like a friendly outing.”

 

**Kyungsoo**

I was wondering if you wanted to come over and watch a movie or something at my place? To hang out and stuff…

 

Both of the men stare at the smartphone with bated breath as the message is marked as read. Sadly, Line doesn’t have the option to see when someone is typing, so Kyungsoo is insanely anxious. There’s a possibility that Jongin will just ignore him if he made him uncomfortable, but he will stare at this phone forever if it means waiting for Jongin to accept or deny his invitation. It seems like hours (in reality only a minute) before Jongin finally replies, and Kyungsoo and Baekhyun subconsciously lean closer towards the phone.

 

**Jongin** **♡**

Sure! I’d love to come over. A movie at your place sounds great :-) What day and time?

 

“He...He said yes…” Kyungsoo whispers in astonishment before whipping his head to look at Baekhyun with a blooming bright smile. “He said yes!”

“We did it!” Baekhyun beams and hugs his friend in excitement, knowing he’ll accept his skin ship in this happy moment. “He seems like a nice guy, Kyungsoo. I hope it goes well. You can sacrifice our weekend outings for the date, if you want.”

Kyungsoo is typing back a reply full of smiling stickers and telling Jongin a date as he speaks, “Nah, Jongin works on Saturdays, so I’ll invite him over on Friday.”

“Oh? What does he do?”

Clearing his throat, Kyungsoo blushes a bit, looking away. “Um, he works at that pizza place that we ordered from before…”

“...Do you have a crush on the pizza guy from then, Kyungsoo, because **_oh my god_**.” Baekhyun gapes at him in amazement. “It’s no wonder you were so weird that night! And that’s why you have like 3 pizza boxes stuffed into your trash can. I can’t believe you.”

“He’s nice, okay! Every time he delivered pizza, we would talk, and then we exchanged numbers, and here we are,” Kyungsoo explains, playing with his phone case as he speaks, embarrassed. It does seem a bit odd when you look at it. “And don’t even talk! You take home any cute boy you meet at the bar,” he points out with a glare.

“But still...a pizza delivery boy?” Baekhyun stares at him incredulously.

“We might get free pizza, Baekhyun.”

“Okay, never mind, I’m supporting this.”

 

Naturally, as the week progresses, Kyungsoo is counting the days until his “date” with Jongin. They talk normally like nothing has changed, but he knows the moment Jongin shows up at his doorstep, things will be awkward between. And Kyungsoo’s actually never been on a date, with his terrible romantic history. What if Jongin expects him to make dinner and go all out? What should he wear? What if they can’t find a good movie to watch? Being ever the anxiety-ridden worrywart, these thoughts occupy his mind the entire week, and the day comes before Kyungsoo is ready to face it.

He cleans up his apartment, even though it’s practically spotless anyways, and he microwaves some popcorn before Jongin arrives just in case the younger is hungry. Kyungsoo isn’t sure if he should dress nice or comfortably, so he wears some jeans and a nice shirt. He looks like he cares but not too much. He knows Jongin probably isn’t worrying too much about this like he is, so Kyungsoo should just stay calm and chill about it.

Curled up on the couch, he stares at the clock in worry. Jongin should be here any moment. Unless he’s going to stand Kyungsoo up, of course. Why wouldn’t he want to? He probably realized Kyungsoo is boring and decided that—

The door buzzes, and Kyungsoo jolts and jumps to his feet. Walking to the door, he glances at himself in the mirror on the wall, combing through his hair to make sure it looks okay before moving to the door and opening it.

Kyungsoo had never seen Jongin without his uniform on, and he can tell that Jongin has some sense of style with his white-washed jeans and a red and black striped cardigan. His mocha hair is styled down but tousled cutely, and Kyungsoo wonders how he manages to look so effortlessly attractive.

“Hey, there,” Jongin smiles at him, dimples showing, and Kyungsoo has to stop himself from swooning.

“H-Hey…” Kyungsoo’s eyes fall to the floor shyly, nervous hands adjusting his glasses and smudging the glass slightly.

“The glasses are different. You’ve never worn them before.” The taller man comments as he steps inside Kyungsoo’s apartment for the first time. “Do you wear contacts normally?”

Gasping softly, Kyungsoo touches the black frames perched on his nose. He had completely forgotten that he’d been wearing them. Jongin probably thinks they’re ugly, accentuating his already big eyes. Kyungsoo flusters to reply as he shuts the door. “U-Uh, um, yeah. I-I have really bad eyesight, a-astigmatism. I can go put in my contacts if you want,” Kyungsoo wrings his hands, standing there awkwardly with already warm cheeks as Jongin takes off his shoes.

“No, it’s fine, Kyungsoo,” Jongin reassures sweetly as he straightens back up. “They look really cute on you, actually. You look great either way.” He senses Kyungsoo’s insecurity and skims a hand past the elder’s, wanting that warm contact and to see Kyungsoo’s cheeks flame up.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo mumbles, smiling shyly and subtly wishing Jongin would hold his hand. Instead, he leads Jongin further inside and into the living room, where he’s already pulled up Netflix and placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, perfectly centered. “You can pick what to watch, if you want.”

“Cool,” Jongin beams at him, taking a seat on Kyungsoo’s blue couch. Being gracious, Kyungsoo spaces himself a whole cushion away when he sits down as Jongin grabs the remote. The latter sends him a look once he notices the distance, letting out a teasing _tsk_ and moving himself closer to Kyungsoo. “I know it’s our first time hanging out for real, but you don’t have to be so stiff. I mean, I’m awkward too, so it’s fine, haha.”

He’s nervous? Kyungsoo glances up at Jongin’s face and wonders how he hides it so well, meanwhile Kyungsoo is a stumbling mess. “Sorry...it’s just...I don’t know...I have bad anxiety, so I worry about everything.”

Jongin looks surprised, hand pausing on the remote as he searches through the category. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nods with a frown. “I’m not...good with socializing.”

“You’re great to me. I’m never bored with our conversations,” Jongin admits honestly. “I mean, we all have flaws that we don’t like, but I think you’re really sweet, Kyungsoo. You’re super considerate and caring.”

He swears steam comes out of his ears at that moment as Kyungsoo’s cheeks darken, and his hands come up to hold them as if to hide it from Jongin. “How can you just say that?” Kyungsoo whines, turning away to mush his face into the couch cushions.

Jongin snickers and reaches over to tug on Kyungsoo’s arm. “I’m just telling the truth!”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo murmurs, voice muffled by the cushion. Slowly, he pulls away, facing Jongin again with a pout. He can feel himself becoming more comfortable as Jongin grins at him the same way he did the first time they met.

“You’re welcome! Now, help me pick a movie,” Jongin hands him the remote.

 

They end up choosing a Chinese historical drama film that Jongin really wanted to watch. It's okay at best, in Kyungsoo’s opinion, but Jongin seems to like it. He finds out by quietly watching Jongin rather than the movie that the younger is expressive with his reactions—also that he kind of has a resting bitch face that Kyungsoo never noticed because he smiles 24/7.

Jongin has his hand buried in the bowl of popcorn placed in Kyungsoo’s lap when he catches the latter’s staring eyes and smiles softly, the light of the television catching his handsome features perfectly in the dark room. Kyungsoo blushes and fixes his eyes back onto the movie, a little flustered that he was caught. He tries to focus on the movie instead, hypersensitive as Jongin shifts on the couch, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth as he lies back.

And it sounds cheesy, but Kyungsoo swears that in the next moment Jongin stretches his arm out, subtly moving closer. Kyungsoo glances out of the corner of his eye to see Jongin watching for his reaction as he moves until Kyungsoo can feel the heat of his thigh against his own, and then his arm casually rests on the couch behind Kyungsoo.

He keeps his eyes on the movie, pretending like it’s nothing, but his heart is beating wildly with Jongin so close to him. Kyungsoo’s not a very touchy person, but he doesn’t mind Jongin being close or pressing his thigh against Kyungsoo’s. Clutching the nearly empty bowl of popcorn to his chest, Kyungsoo takes the chance of leaning down to lie his head against Jongin’s shoulder. Kyungsoo is scared to look up to see Jongin’s reaction, heart pounding and blushing. But Jongin isn’t even looking at Kyungsoo when he glances up.

Jongin has to think this is a date too, right? There’s no way he doesn’t with the way he’s pressing close to Kyungsoo. Or is that just hopeful thinking? Baekhyun and Kyungsoo sit close sometimes, but they’ve been friends for years, and he’s only known Jongin for two months. But maybe Jongin is just really touchy-feely?

“What is even going on?” Kyungsoo sighs quietly, trying to distract himself from his complicated thoughts.

“Meixing told Wufan that she can’t marry him because of his social status,” Jongin whispers back. “Have you been paying attention even?” He says in a teasing tone.

Looking up, the older man startles at how close Jongin’s face is from his own. The latter’s smile softens as his eyes drift down to meet Kyungsoo’s in the dark. Kyungsoo can feel Jongin’s breath brush against his skin, and he sucks in a tiny gasp when the hand resting on Kyungsoo’s arm slides up to stroke his cheek with a finger, the touch cool against his fiery skin.

“Your cheeks are so pink, even in the dark,” Jongin murmurs, voice hardly louder than a whisper. The words sound so similar to the mocking Kyungsoo’s heard before, but the way Jongin says them is more endearing than anything. Kyungsoo’s plump lips part, and they both anticipate when Jongin starts to lean down, almond-shaped eyes fluttering closed. Kyungsoo can’t hear anything over his loud pulse, and he closes his eyes as Jongin’s nose brushes against his own. He can feel Jongin’s lips just a centimeter away, can feel the heat from his skin.

And then a phone rings with the standard iPhone ringtone. The two of them pause, regarding each other with hesitance before breaking away awkwardly as Jongin hurries to grab his phone from his pocket.

“Hello?” Jongin answers in confusion as Kyungsoo moves to pause the movie with a blank brain. “...What? Shit, Tao, I’ll be right there!” He starts to seem frantic as he ends the call and shoves his phone in his pocket, and Kyungsoo jumps up when Jongin starts towards the door.

“J-Jongin?”

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo, I-I gotta go,” Jongin explains simply as he starts putting on his shoes. He opens the door and glances back at the shorter man for a quick moment, hesitating in the doorway. “I’ll, um, text you later.”

“But, wait, Jongin, you—” The door slams closed behind the younger as he leaves, and Kyungsoo slumps in the darkness of his living room, Jongin’s forgotten cardigan clutched in his hand. “You...forgot this…”

His frown deepens, hands trembling as they grip the fabric. Did he do something wrong? Kyungsoo knows Jongin sounded frantic on the phone, but he was acting weird when he left. Did he not want to kiss Kyungsoo? Maybe he was too forward, maybe Jongin just wanted to be friends, and Kyungsoo screwed it up.

Kyungsoo feels that familiar torment associated with the weight of the tiny bundle of daffodils in his small hand, the box of chocolate clutched in frost-nipped fingers.

He messed up, again.

 

As if to add to Kyungsoo’s gloomy thoughts, Jongin doesn’t message him the next week at all. Kyungsoo finds himself staring at their chat and wondering if he should type a message instead, but he can’t find the courage. All he can think about is how Jongin probably doesn’t want to be his friend anymore. The entire week he berates himself for wanting to kiss Jongin, for crossing the line of friendship. He’s so stupid. Why did he even try? Jongin wouldn’t want to date him.

He holes himself up in his apartment during the week, working on a client’s advertisements to distract himself. Eventually, Jongdae calls him on Friday and invites him out to a bar to have drinks with his friends Minseok and Luhan. Kyungsoo doesn’t refuse because even he knows he’s become like a stranger the past week. Baekhyun has been trying to ask about how his “date” went, but Kyungsoo’s been avoiding the question every second he can get.

Honestly, he’s been tormenting himself enough as it is. His mind rewinds to that single moment in time, when he was pressed close to Jongin, and when he could feel Jongin’s lips oh-so close to his own. Kyungsoo likes to pretend that the moment wasn’t ruined, and that maybe Jongin really would’ve kissed him. The younger probably regrets it, and that’s why he hasn’t messaged him.

Friday evening, he bothers to throw something on that isn’t pajamas or loungewear. Kyungsoo double-checks that he has his keys and his phone on him before heading towards the door. He’s running a little late as it is, his phone going off every two minutes with a whiny text from Jongdae. Glasses perched on his nose because he didn’t have time to put contacts in, Kyungsoo opens his apartment door and walks out into the hallway, closing it behind himself and turning around to lock it behind him, keys jingling.

“Aww, where did you get that? It looks like it hurts,” the bell-like voice of Kyungsoo’s neighbor several doors down, Jessica, rings lightly through the hall. Kyungsoo hardly pays attention to whatever conversation she’s having until another familiar voice chimes in.

“My sister has a cat, and it hates me. I’m more of a dog person anyways.”

Kyungsoo stiffens at the sound of that dorky laugh, and he glances over his shoulder to see Jongin standing there, in front of Jessica’s door. He’s wearing his uniform, pizza box in hand, as he talks to Jessica with that blinding smile of his. It makes Kyungsoo’s heart ache, and his hand tightens its grip on its keys. Maybe he was reading the signals wrong before. If Jongin offers that pretty smile to everyone, what makes him special? And Jongin looks so natural with Jessica. She’s so beautiful and talks to him flawlessly with social skills Kyungsoo could only dream of.

His lower lip wobbles, and Kyungsoo can’t help himself as his mind shuts down. He unlocks his door and throws himself back into his apartment before the tears can come. He doesn’t care that he slams the door as he kicks off his shoes and collapses on the couch and curls up on the cushions. Kyungsoo hates it when he feels tears rolling down his cheeks. He’s stupid. He should’ve never invited Jongin over, and he should’ve just given up hope that he could ever have some sort of romance with anyone. He’s doomed to be alone.

Grabbing something lying on the couch that he assumes to be his jacket, Kyungsoo wipes his tears with it as he types out a messy text to Jongdae that he isn’t going tonight. Jongdae sends him a bunch of question marks in reply, but the younger just locks his phone and sets it aside, hugging the fabric in his arms close to his chest. Closing his eyes, he presses it to his nose and expects to smell the familiar lavender scent of his fabric softener, but instead it smells completely different—like rosemary. Kyungsoo opens his eyes and finds that it’s not his own jacket in his arms, but Jongin’s forgotten cardigan.

He can’t help the urge to hug it closer with the realization.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know how long he lies there, crying and regretting everything and wishing the floor would sink in and swallow him whole. But eventually his pity party gets interrupted by his phone vibrating on the coffee table, Baekhyun’s name flashing on the caller ID screen. He knows he’ll get chewed out or spammed if he doesn’t answer, so he wipes the tears and answers in a muffled, watery voice.

 _“Kyungsoo, what’s up with you?”_ Baekhyun skips any greeting, sounding worried. _“Jongdae told me you said you weren’t going to the bar tonight, and he was worried…A-Are you crying?”_

“N-No,” Kyungsoo’s voice betrays him as it wobbles.

_“C’mon, tell me what’s up. I know this is about Jongin. Did the date not go well?”_

It’s like the floodgates open, and Kyungsoo starts spilling out words. “I-It was fun at first. We watched a movie, and—and then he pulled me close, and we—we almost kissed! B-But he got a phone call, and he had to go. He hasn’t talked to me all week. He hates me, Baekhyun. After we almost kissed, Jongin probably realized that he doesn’t like me, and now he doesn’t want to even be friends with me. He’d be better off dating Jessica!”

 _“Jessica? How does your pretty neighbor fit into this?”_ Baekhyun sighs, probably knowing it was just a mixture of Kyungsoo’s overflowing, anxious thoughts. _“Kyungsoo, have you tried calling him or messaging him?”_

“No, but usually he messages me first!” Kyungsoo defends. “He acted weird when he left, so—so I’m scared he won’t message me back if I try.”

 _“Then call him,”_ the other man replies. _“I doubt he would’ve tried to kiss you if he didn’t want to, Kyungsoo. Maybe something happened to him after the phone call. Besides, if you call him, he can’t ignore you. You can’t give up now, okay? I know you doubt yourself, Kyungsoo, but anyone would be lucky to have you. I’m sure Jongin feels the same. Yes, there’s the chance you are right, and he is avoiding you, but wouldn’t it be better to find that out now and save you all this worrying?”_

“I'm scared,” Kyungsoo admits quickly. “What if...if it's like Chanyeol, and I get rejected?”

_“You weren't rejected. Chanyeol was just an impatient asshole. I don't know this Jongin guy, but I doubt he's anything but great if you like him so much. Call him, Kyungsoo. It won't hurt to ask.”_

It takes Kyungsoo a good minute to muster up a reply. He knows Baekhyun is right, but his anxiety is holding him back as always. He doesn't want to find out if Jongin really is rejecting him, but what if Baekhyun is right? He can't live like this, holding himself back all the time, and he knows it.

“O-Okay, I'll call Jongin,” Kyungsoo's hand trembles at the thought, but he gulps his fear down.

Baekhyun does a small cheer. _"That's the spirit, Kyungsoo! You can do it! Now, I gotta go. Taeyeon is nagging me to paint her toenails. Call him!"_

They exchange goodbyes, and Kyungsoo ends the call. Letting out a shuddering breath, he sits up on the couch and cuddles Jongin's cardigan to his chest, as if it's his lucky charm and will help him gather the courage to make the call. It's already 10:30, and Kyungsoo almost uses that as an excuse, but he steels himself up and knows it's now or never. Pulling up the Line app, he taps on Jongin's profile and then clicks the phone icon quickly, so that he doesn't have the chance to hesitate any longer. Kyungsoo holds the phone to his ear as it dials. The few seconds that it takes to dial seem like hours before there's a click.

 _"Mmm...Hello?"_ A drowsy, deep voice answers, and Kyungsoo barely recognizes it as Jongin.

"J-Jongin?" he murmurs softly, afraid he just woke the younger up.

 _"Oh, hey, Kyungsoo, is that you?"_ Jongin's breath washes over the speaker for a moment with a crackling sound, and the elder can hear shifting in the background like he's sitting up in bed.

"Yeah, um, did I wake you up? I'm sorry."

 _"S'okay, I had just fallen asleep anyways,"_ Jongin replies. _"What's up?"_ He asks like they haven't talked in so long.

"Um, I... I just...uh..." Kyungsoo shakes his head to rid of the jitters. He has to come out and say it. "Why haven't you talked to me since last week, Jongin? Was it something I did? Do...Do you really not like me in _that_ way? I...was it wrong of me to think that you actually wanted to k-kiss me that night? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to. I just really...really like you a lot, and I have for a while since I met you. But I know you would probably like a pretty girl more than me. I'm sorry, Jongin. I should have just been honest from the start, and I—"

 _"Kyungsoo,"_ Jongin interrupts his ongoing monologue and stream of apologies. He sighs, and there's a pause of silence before Jongin laughs dryly. _"God, I'm such an idiot. Listen, I haven't been avoiding you or anything like that—well, kind of, but that's not all of it. Do you remember that call I got?"_

"Yeah?" Kyungsoo holds his breath, not sure where this is going.

 _"A water pipe in my apartment busted, and my roommate called to tell me that our apartment was flooded. I had to move back into my parents' house in the meantime while they fix everything, and then I dropped my phone and basically broke it. I got a new one today since I had an upgrade, but I went like two days without a phone. But that doesn't excuse much. I was just...too scared to make a move on you after almost kissing you..."_ His voice sounds sincere and a bit dreamy as he mentions the almost-kiss. _"I didn't know you liked me too."_

Kyungsoo realizes then that _ah, Jongin must be a little dense, huh._ But his second reaction is the usual blush and his breath catching in his throat. Jongin likes him too? It was all just a misunderstanding? It seems too good to be true. "You... like me?" His voice raises in pitch in disbelief.

 _"Of course! Why else would I try to kiss you, silly?"_ Kyungsoo can hear him smiling through the receiver. _"Plus...you looked really cute in those Pikachu boxers..."_

The elder makes a strangled noise, falling over to lie on the couch and bury his face in Jongin's sweater. He's surprised his face isn't on fire at this point. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that!"

Jongin laughs, the sound comforting about Kyungsoo's never-ending torment in the past week. _"How could I! It was how we met, basically.”_

Kyungsoo finds himself laughing too, the sound of Jongin’s laughter addicting. He tries to muffle the sound with his hand as it’s so dorky in his mind.

 _“Your laugh is really cute, Kyungsoo. You should laugh more. I’ll have to tell you more bad jokes,”_ the dancer says after their giggles fall away.

“You, um, can tell me some...on a date next week?” Kyungsoo asks meekly, pressing the sweater to his nose and lips nervously. He doesn’t have to worry for long as Jongin’s reply is excited and instantaneous.

 _“Yes! Let’s go on a date. How about tomorrow instead? I want to see you,”_ Jongin admits, straightforward. _“We can go eat lunch somewhere at noon, maybe?”_

“That...that sounds great,” Kyungsoo smiles widely, feeling his cheeks ache. “Meet at my apartment?”

_“Sure! I’ll be there then.”_

Silence.

 _“So...see you tomorrow?”_ Jongin continues, letting out an awkward but joyful chuckle.

“Y-Yeah, see you tomorrow, Jongin,” the older man replies. He doesn’t really want to hang up, too happy listening to Jongin’s voice, but it is late. “Goodnight. Sleep well. Sweet dreams.” Apparently, he has become Jongin’s mother.

 _“Haha! Goodnight to you too,”_ Jongin hums before ending the call. Kyungsoo’s surprised at his swiftness, but he remembers he did kind of wake him up with the phone call. Jongin was probably super tired.

Letting out a happy sigh, Kyungsoo rolls over to look at the ceiling, phone cradled to his chest and sweater thrown across his waist. Baekhyun was right. It was all mainly a misunderstanding. He can’t help but giggle to himself as he realizes it’s really happening. He’s found a developing romance for once, and he has his first real date in fourteen hours.

Holy shit, he has his first date tomorrow.

 

Jongin arrives at his apartment door promptly at twelve o’clock, and Kyungsoo opens the door with pink cheeks and nervous eyes, but it all washes away the moment Jongin smiles brightly at him. Nothing has changed about his happy mannerisms, nor his charming expressions, and that makes Kyungsoo relax. It’s just Jongin.

“Hey, there,” the brunet greets him smoothly, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Hey, yourself,” Kyungsoo replies, walking out and closing his door behind him. “Ready to go?”

“Yep!” Jongin chirps, surprising the elder as he reaches to grasp his hand in his, grinning sheepishly. “This okay?”

Kyungsoo blushes but grips Jongin’s hand tightly. “Yeah, it’s fine. I-I mean, I like it.”

They start down the hallway and to the concrete steps of the complex. Jongin never lets go as his hand, and it’s comforting. His palm is warm, just like he is, and Kyungsoo is so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly runs into Jongin when he stops on the platform in between floors.

Holding his nose, as he bumped it into Jongin’s shoulder, Kyungsoo looks at him in confusion. “Jongin?”

“I almost forgot!” The younger turns around to face Kyungsoo with a soft smile, mocha eyes crinkled. The latter can only blink, not sure what Jongin is talking about until he is reaching up to move Kyungsoo’s hand from his nose, and then that hand slides up to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek, the skin turning pink instantly. Jongin’s smile widens at the sight, but then he is leaning down in a familiar scene.

Kyungsoo realizes what is happening at the last second, and his wide eyes flutter closed, anticipating the feeling of Jongin’s straight nose brushing his own just before he finally - _finally_ feels a soft pressure on his lips. It’s so warm, and Kyungsoo feels his heart freak out in his chest. Jongin’s lips are so plush, and something about the kiss feels so right. Their lips only move slightly beyond a chaste kiss before Jongin is pulling away, and Kyungsoo opens his eyes.

Jongin bumps his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. “Kyungsoo, you know what they say?”

“Hmm?”

“When kissing flowers, _tulips_ are better than one.”


End file.
